Guest: Open Lines with Dr. David Livingston. Topics: Artificial & natural gravity, Leonardo DiCaprio, HSF to Mars. Please direct all comments & questions regarding Space Show programs/guest(s) to the Space Show blog, https://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments & questions should be relevant to the specific Space Show program. Written Transcripts of Space Show programs are a violation of our copyright and are not permitted without prior written consent, even if for your own use. We do not permit the commercial use of Space Show programs or any part thereof, nor do we permit editing, YouTube clips, or clips placed on other private channels & websites. Space Show programs can be quoted, but the quote must be cited or referenced using the proper citation format. Contact The Space Show for further information. In addition, please remember that your Amazon purchases can help support The Space Show/OGLF. See www.onegiantleapfoundation.org/amazon.htm.

Welcome to this two hour one minute Open Lines discussion on what turned out to be mostly about artificial gravity. While there were actually two breaks in this program, since the topic was the same throughout the full show, I am archiving this as a single segment summary. We started the program by my making announcements, then reading parts of an article that recently appeared in the Turlock Journal (www.turlockjournal.com/section/26/article/23874) that talked about the green efforts by actor Leonardo DiCaprio but also pointing out his having arranged to be an early passenger onboard SpaceShip2. The author of the article, Dennis Wyatt, then pointed out the hypocracy of Mr. DiCaprio by examining the carbon footprint of SpaceShip2 & comparing it to cars & other things, pointing out the enormous consumption and carbon footprint that will be unloaded on Earth by Mr. DiCaprio’s flight. I read parts of the article to point out the hypocracy among those that preach to us to do as they say yet they seldom if ever walk their own talk. I also mentioned articles in the informative menu of The Black Bear Diner Gazette from their Emeryville, CA menu, one of which was an old news article saying that NASA Administrator Thomas Paine predicted & had a goal of doing a HSF mission to Mars by 1981-82. Some of the callers for today’s discussion did offer comments on both the DiCaprio article as well as wondering if we could have gone to and from Mars with astronauts back in 1981-82. However, by far, the topic of the day was artificial gravity, a topic which really surprised me. The callers and those sending emails wanted to talk about artificial gravity, their understanding of it, how to achieve it, their analysis of it, and more. The callers talked 2 RMs, 3 RPMs, 4 RPMs, we talked about some of the comments by the life scientists on this subject on previous shows, much of which was discarded by the callers who had a focus on engineering and physics and their own perspectives. We also talked about the difference between partial gravity & full 1 g artificial gravity. I mentioned that many were unsure that 1 g of artificial gravity would be the same as 1 g here on Earth but that was quickly discarded by all callers and those sending in emails. Our callers also talked about experiments that should take place using free flyers adjacent to the ISS to study some of the artificial gravity questions in preparation for long duration human spaceflight. Because of the unexpected interest in artificial gravity, I have decided to arrange for updated programming on the subject with “experts” representing aerospace medicine, life scientists, engineers that would be designing space based centrifuges, and more. I will be announcing these programs as they are scheduled & they will appear in the weekly newsletters.

Please post your comments/questions for this show on TSS blog above. You can reach any of the callers to this program by sending your email through me at drspace@thespaceshow.com.

Guest: Open Lines with Dr. David Livingston. Topics: Space predictions for 2014, SLS, Mars One, Inspiration Mars, radiation, policy, and more. Please direct all comments and questions regarding Space Show programs/guest(s) to the Space Show blog, https://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments and questions should be relevant to the specific Space Show program. Written Transcripts of Space Show programs are a violation of our copyright and are not permitted without prior written consent, even if for your own use. We do not permit the commercial use of Space Show programs or any part thereof, nor do we permit editing, YouTube clips, or clips placed on other private channels & websites. Space Show programs can be quoted, but the quote must be cited or referenced using the proper citation format. Contact The Space Show for further information. In addition, please remember that your Amazon purchases can help support The Space Show/OGLF. See www.onegiantleapfoundation.org/amazon.htm.

Welcome to our final Open Lines program for 2013. This two hour 1 minute discussion also included space industry predictions for 2014 per our callers. Note that the first segment was long, 90 minutes, followed by a shorter second segment. In the first segment, I suggested seeing the NASA Earthrise 45 anniversary recreation of the Apollo 8 Earthrise photo that was released by NASA Goddard. Andy Chaikin helped create it and does the narration. It shows where the astronauts were coming around the Moon on Apollo 8 and how they managed to see Earthrise and get the famous picture. You can hear the astronauts talk about it as they scramble to take the photo. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE-vOscpiNc. Mike Listener was our first caller about Mars One and his being doubtful the program will ever get off the ground. Besides believing they will have sticker shock from the pending Lockheed Martin study, he doubted their capability as do I and others that called into the show. He deferred predicting re the Code of Conduct until 2015. SLS John from Ft. Worth called in and said congress would avoid confrontation so he predicted SLS and Orion would continue for 2014. He also said Mars One would not happen. We talked about radiation and the recent Classroom program addressing the subject, the Chinese lunar mission getting attention, and then he said we need a competitor to shake us up (China?). He also was not optimist on Inspiration Mars. Falcon Heavy Doug called in to discuss the Falcon Heavy 2014 flight which was on the SpaceX manifest. He predicted three things for 2014: Virgin flight, SpaceX getting close to hover technology over the ocean with about 8 flights for 2014 with good recovery progress being made, and #3, the launch of Falcon Heavy. He thought 2015 might prove more interesting. He repeated the Mars One comments and then he mentioned that our recent radiation Classroom show should have focused more on solutions. He gave an example using a lunar settlement scenario. He also discounted the need to have a hab on the Moon equal the same radiation protection as provided by Earth’s atmosphere, instead suggesting 80% of that protection level would suffice for a three year lunar mission.

In the second segment, Dr. Charles Lurio called on a bad cell phone connection. He concurred about the Virgin flight with Branson aboard, but also pitched XCOR, having much to say about their progress. He also talked about the ISS and its growing list of commercial opportunities. When asked about Google Lunar XPrize, he said he was pessimistic. Listen to his comment for the details. Regarding HSF, it needs to get cheaper and we need a commercial space transportation system. He also talked about SLS and recent proposals to make the project cancel proof.

Post your comments/questions on TSS blog above. All callers can be reached through me if you want to email them.

Guest: Open Lines with Dr. David Livingston. Topics: Listeners called in to discuss a wide ranging set of topics from propulsion, SLS, Lunar COTS, STEM, and more. Please direct all comments and questions regarding Space Show programs/guest(s) to the Space Show blog, https://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments and questions should be relevant to the specific Space Show program. Written Transcripts of Space Show programs are a violation of our copyright and are not permitted without prior written consent, even if for your own use. We do not permit the commercial use of Space Show programs or any part thereof, nor do we permit editing, YouTube clips, or clips placed on other private channels & websites. Space Show programs can be quoted, but the quote must be cited or referenced using the proper citation format. Contact The Space Show for further information. In addition, please remember that your Amazon purchases can help support The Space Show/OGLF. See www.onegiantleapfoundation.org/amazon.htm.

Welcome to this 2 hour 2 minute Open Lines discussion. Jeff was our first caller regarding propulsion, SLS, Orion, SRBs, ATK, advanced technology as compared to existing or old technology, composite materials, and much more. I also asked him about sequestration in the defense side of space. Todd sent an email to Jeff to inquire what he thought about the possibility of an SLS cancelation. We talked about the possibility of canceling the SLS project due to economic issues with the government. Jeff also spoke about XCOR, ULA, Rocketdyne, pumps, and lower cost options with NewSpace companies. Charles Pooley called in to talk about the Indian Mars mission, the 4 stage PSLV rocket, and his forthcoming book due out before the end of the year. Tim sent in a STEM article & he called so we talked about the article but both of us did not think much of the author’s comments on the subject. Next up was Doug from Southern California regarding articles about Bigelow and Lunar Cots. The use of SLS was discussed for commercial missions or public/private partnerships and I parted company from his analysis and conclusions. The articles suggested by Doug included www.parabolicarc.com/2013/11/12/50647 and www.newspacejournal.com/2013/11/12/bigelow-report-calls-for-use-of-cots-model-for-cislunar-transportation. As frequent listeners know, Doug is a strong advocate of lunar cots. I also asked him what the profitable commercial mission would for lunar cots. Mostly Doug talked about selling rides to NASA except with the SLS, they would be using a gov. vehicle. It’s an interesting discussion. What do you think about the ideas we talked about? Andrew from Tucson was our last caller and we learned he has been busy with precision tool and engineering for rocket parts. We also talked about the need for cultural changes in the country and he talked specifics in this area, not with generalizations. We also talked about astronomy, career paths, and telescopes.

Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog above. If you want to email any of the participants, you can do so through me at drspace@thespaceshow.com.

Guest: Open Lines with Dr. David Livingston. Topics: Blue Ridge Nebula Starline, radiation, Skylon, Falcon 9 Vandenberg, NEOs, & Asteroid missions. Please direct all comments and questions regarding Space Show programs/guest(s) to the Space Show blog, https://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments and questions should be relevant to the specific Space Show program. Written Transcripts of Space Show programs are a violation of our copyright and are not permitted without prior written consent, even if for your own use. We do not permit the commercial use of Space Show programs or any part thereof, nor do we permit editing, YouTube clips, or clips placed on other private channels & websites. Space Show programs can be quoted, but the quote must be cited or referenced using the proper citation format. Contact The Space Show for further information. In addition, please remember that your Amazon purchases can help support The Space Show/OGLF. See www.onegiantleapfoundation.org/amazon.htm. For those of you interested in the opportunity to submit feedback on the NRC congressionally mandated Human Spaceflight Study, please go to www.nationalacademies.org/humanspaceflight. Please remember that your Amazon Purchases Can Help Support The Space Show/OGLF (http://www.onegiantleapfoundation.org/amazon.htm).

Our program today was a 2 hour 5 minute Open Line discussion. I started it out with some Space Show announcements, suggested topics for today’s discussion, then I opened the phone lines for listener participation. Dr. Doug Haynes was our first caller. Doug is celebrating the tenth anniversary of Blue Ridge Nebula Starline (www.blueridgeairlines.com) and his sister site, www.bluenebula.com. Dr. Haynes talked about his vehicles, missions, propulsion, AST, orbital, suborbital and all HSF, his issues with zero gravity, green space technology, spaceports with the Front Range Airport as well as Denver International. Follow our discussion about his vehicles and pods via his Blue Nebula website above. Doug also told us about his books through the 3rd Wave Air Books which is linked to both his websites. I did mention Doug’s very well known newsletter & how to visit his operation for those in and around the Denver area. Our next caller was Dr. Doug Plata from Southern California to discuss space radiation and our Monday guest, Dr. Marcelo Vazquez. Doug took us through several radiation risks and mitigation strategies. We talked about radiation and the Mars missions plus what might & might not be appropriate regarding taxpayer money or the cash equivalent regarding helping a private company do a HSF to Mars. Just before the break, questions came up about the upcoming SpaceX Falcon 9 Vandenberg launch.

In our second segment, Tim Weaver was our first caller to talk about Skylon. There has been some recent press suggesting that the UK government my be interested in some funding with Skylon (www.sen.com/news/uk-pledges-fresh-support-for-revolutionary-space-engine.html). We talked about the UK space interests and program along with the astronaut safety issue mentioned earlier and by Rand Simberg in his recent program. John Hunt called in to talk about the Zubrin article on NASA’s asteroid retrieval mission, then he said he doubted anything would become of Skylon. His last point pertained to astronaut safety per the Rand Simberg show and comments. He suggested that since the government flies astronauts for national prestige, safety would be extreme given the potential prestige damage resulting from an accident. Before the end, Doug sent in a note saying the Falcon 9 Vandenberg launch is currently set for Sept. 5th.

Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog. You can reach any of the guests who called in today via their website or my email address.

Guest: Open Lines with Dr. David Livingston. Topics: Carnival Cruise lines & informed consent, space radiation, nanosat launchers, & much more. Please direct all comments and questions regarding Space Show programs/guest(s) to the Space Show blog, https://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments and questions should be relevant to the specific Space Show program. Written Transcripts of Space Show programs are a violation of our copyright and are not permitted without prior written consent, even if for your own use. We do not permit the commercial use of Space Show programs or any part thereof, nor do we permit editing, YouTube clips, or clips placed on other private channels & websites. Space Show programs can be quoted, but the quote must be cited or referenced using the proper citation format. Contact The Space Show for further information.

We started our one hour fifty-one minute Open Lines discussion by my throwing out some suggested topics which included recent USA Today polls on human spaceflight to Mars and informed consent using the recent Carnival Cruise Line cruise from hell as a possible indicator of what may happen in the space tourism industry. Dave, our first caller, talked about the new efforts to create NTRs and have nuclear propulsion using tungsten as the fuel base. Dave had lots to say about the tungsten as well as traditional fuels. I next read a listener email about an NCIS Los Angeles 2011 episode about satellite sale to a foreign party and ITAR,. Next, we talked about another listener email calling our attention the SpaceWorks Nanosatellite Market Report, and then up next was the CNN interview with Bill Nye and the CNN anchor asking Bill if global warming was causing the NEOs and events like the Russian meteorite. Thanks to Tim for sending in the URL for the interview which you can see and hear at www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObU7awpJctQ.

In our second segment, Pooley called in to support my informed consent and Carnival Cruise Line comments plus he again told us why he did not think the space tourism industry would be successful. Charles also talked about the Russian meteorite and the need for a dedicated cubesat or nanosat launcher over and above flying small sats as secondary payloads. In addition, we talked about the Google Lunar XPrize and the absence of launch contracts for the ride to the Moon. Tim called to talk about the nanosat launch industry, we talked about the upcoming Virgin Galactic1 small satellite launchers and deep space radiation and HSF. The dedicated small sat launcher reminded me of an Oct. 13, 2008 Jurist Space Review article proposing a university consortium for such a launch system and the condemnation he got for his proposal. Dr. Jurist called in to talk about his proposal and the response. You can read his 2008 Space Review article here: www.thespacereview.com/article/1228/1. I also asked Dr. Jurist about Tim’s radiation comments and he explained this particular radiation issue to us. He also said there was a real lack of valid data points so much of what Tim, John and I were talking about was simply an unknown or extrapolated from data pools that may be quite different from those at the lower end of exposure. In discussing this subject, Dr. Jurist talked about American radiation standards, astronauts as radiation workers, and the European standards. At the end of the program, Tim called to talk about the Carnival Cruise Line incident and informed consent. Tim suggested tort reform with caps but also put forth a novel behavioral theory and I told him I would absolutely go on the five day cruise from hell to earn a million dollars!

Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog. You can email any of the participants in this program through me at drspace@thespaceshow.com.

Guest: Open Lines with Dr. David Livingston. Topics: Space Show surveys & feedback, SatCon 2012, post election space policy & more. Please direct all comments and questions regarding Space Show programs/guest(s) to the Space Show blog, https://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments and questions should be relevant to the specific Space Show program. Written Transcripts of Space Show programs are a violation of our copyright and are not permitted without prior written consent, even if for your own use. We do not permit the commercial use of Space Show programs or any part thereof, nor do we permit editing, YouTube clips, or clips placed on other private channels & websites. Space Show programs can be quoted, but the quote must be cited or referenced using the proper citation format. Contact The Space Show for further information. Welcome to our nearly 2.5 hour Open Lines discussion on a wide range of topics. Most of our topics covered the entire show so this summary is in just one segment. In addition to a few talking points at the beginning of the show, I stressed the need for more Space Show listener feedback and the use of possible surveys. The survey issue came up with several callers and many ideas for surveys were put forth. If you have ideas or suggestions for better Space Show feedback including the use of surveys, please post your ideas on The Space Show blog. In addition, we had some strange phone line issues throughout this program. We are working to track down what happened but since there is no call waiting at our end, I’m not sure the problems were with our equipment. Regardless, The Space Show apologizes for the phone line distractions. Daniel, a first responder, called in with a brief summary of the recently completed SatCon 2012 Conference in NYC. He had some very interesting things to share with us, especially about national security satellite issues. Check out this conference at www.satconexpo.com. Tim called to talk about our recent program regarding JP Aerospace. Tim said he was working the numbers and does not feel that an airship can make it to orbit. Let us know if you agree with Tim. By the way, others on earlier programs have made it clear that they do not believe JP can get an airship to orbit. In the meantime, John continues to work the problem and best of luck to him and his crew in figuring out how to reach his goal. Doug called in and we talked post election space policy. A few other callers did the same thing including John from Atlanta. I really had no great insights to bring to the table but I suspect that more likely based on how things go with the economy and sequestration, the status quo will prevail on space policy. That said, the SLS program might actually be a target of NASA budget cuts over the next few years but it is way too early to tell. Some listeners seemed to want a partisan discussion on policy and I did my best to avoid it though I did disclose my dislike for our two main political parties. I was also clear that the private sector engaged in capital acquisition was at risk through increased regulation, taxes, inflation, etc. Like everyone, I am hopeful that risk capital will remain strong and space ventures will be able to grow in their share of this unique investor market, but it is a fragile market given our economic situation and the uncertainties ahead of us at this time. John from Winterhaven called about my comments regarding doing something with one’s ideas and concepts over and above just speaking the words or writing a paper. I referred to this throughout our discussion as “breathing life” into one’s concepts/ideas. I am also planning a full Space Show on this subject. Other topics included news stories on the Falcon engine problems and EML2 NASA missions.

Guest: Dr. David Livingston. Topics: Open Lines discussion on various space topics per the choice of the listeners calling today’s show. You are invited to comment, ask questions, and discuss the Space Show program/guest(s) on the Space Show blog, https://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments, questions, and any discussion must be relevant and applicable to Space Show programming. Transcripts of Space Show programs are not permitted without prior written consent from The Space Show (even if for personal use) & are a violation of the Space Show copyright. Welcome to today’s two hour 15 minute Open Lines discussion. The program was in three segments but as we focused on just a few topics for the entire discussion, this summary will not be divided by segments. I started the discussion by describing upcoming Space Show programs, then putting out a few discussion topics. As it turned out, the dominant topic discussed by the listeners had to do with astronaut safety and the recent program with guest Rand Simberg from Monday, Oct. 1, 2012. Rand talked about our being too risk averse, the need for more lives to be at risk to do valuable space missions, etc. You can hear his program at http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1863-BWB-2012-10-01.mp3. Several callers took issue with much of what Rand said and for the most part thought that space missions were valued and that human spaceflight was already risky. Listeners went back and forth on this topic across all segments of the program, talking about shuttle accident rates, proposed accident rates for Constellation, Orion, Dragon, and more. Some listeners even talked about aviation safety rates, military jets, and the track records of the Atlas 5, Delta IV, and Arianne V rockets. For part of this discussion, we also talked about the liability limitation laws passed in spaceport states including California which recently signed into law its version of law. We talked about what this might mean for the industry, for spaceflight participants, and even if the would hold up in an accident.

As part of the HSF safety discussions, we also talked about launch abort and escape systems. We took a call at the first of the second segment from Charles in Oregon who wanted to talk about the lunar space elevator, SLS and propellant depots, our second most talked about topic for the day. Charles is a strong proponent of the lunar space elevator and depots, but others called in from the skeptical side of things which was my position. At times the discussion switched to the space elevator here on Earth but everybody agreed that the lunar space elevator was much more doable. I kept challenging Charles and proponents of this and the depots to show me the complete and thorough financial analysis and trades for these missions with assumptions as that would be the only way to know if these concepts had legs to stand on. If Charles does get me some of this documentation and its viable, I will use it in a future Space Show program. Tim in Huntsville wanted to know my thoughts on various alternative launch systems & my preferences for which type of space missions. There were other topics scattered throughout our program including the 23 mile skydive by Felix Baumgartner with Red Bull scheduled for Oct. 8th, fusion propulsion, and the SpaceX launch going to the ISS later today.

If you want to email any of the callers to this program, send your note to me and I will forward it for you. Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog URL above.

Guest: Open Lines with Dr. David Livingston. Topics: NewSpace 2012 & Business Plan Competition, Title 9 & STEM, & lots more. You are invited to comment, ask questions, and discuss the Space Show program/guest(s) on the Space Show blog, https://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments, questions, and any discussion must be relevant and applicable to Space Show programming. Transcripts of Space Show programs are not permitted without prior written consent from The Space Show (even if for personal use) & are a violation of the Space Show copyright. During our first 70 minute segment of this two hour discussion, we started out with a call to Paul Graham who is the Project Manager for OpenLuna.org ( www.openluna.org). Paul explained their program for putting a person on the Moon. If this interests you, Paul can be contacted through their website. I then undertook a review of the recently concluded NewSpace 2012 Conference and Business Plan Competition. It was an excellent conference and competition and I urge you to see the streaming video archives of the conference sessions & the business plan competition/presentations. You can also find reviews of the sessions on most of the popular space blogs as many of the well known bloggers were at the conference. Again, make sure you see the business plan presentations as I will be bringing several of these presenters on the show in the coming weeks. Also, see the early Saturday morning presentations with Rick Tumlinson and Bob Werb, along with many of the panels with superstars as panel members. Visit www.spacevidcast.com/category/video/conferences-video/newspace-conferences-video to see all of the conference sessions & programs. Tim was next up with a call from Huntsville to talk about the government applying Title 9 to STEM education. We talked about what gender quotas might mean for various STEM programs at schools and universities. For more information, do a Google search for Title 9 & STEM education. Our friend Charles Pooley called in regarding the NASA Nanosat Challenge program. He continued to wonder why there seemed to be so little activity and support for the program.

In our second segment, Jerry from Florida was our first caller. He did watch many of the live streaming sessions and thought this year’s NewSpace Conference 2012 turned a corner for quality. Elliott in Michigan called in to talk about our Mars program, its future, and the ideas put forth by recent guest Brent Sherwood from last week who suggested that the Mars HSF program was a damaging distraction for our space program. If you have not yet listened to this discussion or read his paper which is on The Space Show blog, please do so. As the program was ending, we talked about the upcoming MSL Curiosity landing for Sunday, August 5 at 10:30 PM PDT. I noted our guest for my segment this coming Wednesday evening, August 1 on the John Batchelor Show as she is part of the JPL EDL team for MSL Curiosity. Our discussion airs live at 6:30 PM PDT, 9:30 PM EDT. You can hear it streamed live at www.wabcradio.com/article.asp?id=531472.

If you have comments/questions, please post them on The Space Show blog. If you want to send a note to any of the callers, do so through me and I will forward it on your behalf.

Guest: Open Lines with Dr. David Livingston. Topics: A wide range of space related topics over a 2.5 hour Space Show program. You are invited to comment, ask questions, and discuss the Space Show program/guest(s) on the Space Show blog, https://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments, questions, and any discussion must be relevant and applicable to Space Show programming. Transcripts of Space Show programs are not permitted without prior written consent from The Space Show (even if for personal use) & are a violation of the Space Show copyright. Our initial discussion topic during our hour long first segment was with Charles Pooley who called in to talk about the NASA Nanosat Challenge and the website, http://challenge.gov/NASA/49-nano-satellite-launch-challenge. Charles was hoping listeners might have more information about this program. If you do, please post your comments on the blog. We also talked about the N-Prize and Charles described the basics of this program. Peter Platzer of Do It Yourself Space called in from Mtn. View, CA to talk about Do It Yourself Space, Nanosatisfi and their Kickstarter project. Websites to visit to learn more about what Peter shared with us include http://diyinspace.com and www.nanosatisfi.com. If you want to contact Peter about this project, you can email him at peter@nanosatisfi.com. As you will hear, this is an innovative build your own satellite venture designed to engage everyone in space activities. Our next caller was Frank Van Rensselaer, author of the recent Space News op-ed, What Will Be This Administration’s Legacy for NASA?,http://spacenews.com/commentaries/120618-administration-legacy-nasa.html. Frank talked about the NASA legacy, I tied in my KSC tour and what I saw in terms of the take down of so much of our HSF infrastructure, the shuttles, etc. I asked Frank about NASA budget and funding issues, the role of Congress, OMB and the OSTP. We also talked about commercial space, its importance moving forward for the future and robust civil and commercial space programs. I questioned Frank on differing views as to what our space policy should be, including perspectives contrary to his own. I believe this is a most interesting 20 plus minute conversation.

In the second segment, we led off with a call from John in Atlanta who talked about SLS as a placeholder program, the ISS, Commercial Crew, and human rating the Delta and possibly the Atlas. After John’s call, Kelly called in to talk about SpaceX from his perspective which is different than the perspective most of us have regarding SpaceX, the Falcon 9 and Dragon. See what you think of what Kelly had to say and post your comments on The Space Show blog. I’m sure many of you will want to challenge or disagree with Kelly. Have at it but please, keep it civil. While Kelly was talking, Jim sent in an email saying “Wow! Kelly seems to be living in a different dimension than the rest of us. I wonder what Kelly thinks about the Falcon Heavy?” Later, Terry emailed us about Sen. Hutchinson, her retirement, and the SLS. He also asked about the possibility of life for the ISS after 2020. Toward the end of the program, Terry called to address his concerns. Since we talked about economic issues and good programs being cut when an economy is weak, I read a sad announcement about the funding & program cancellation for the outstanding Center for Remote Sensing, Air, and Space Law at Ole Miss Law School. I hope to address the quality of this excellent Center in a future Space Show program. As the show ended, I went over the upcoming week’s schedule and that I would be discussing my Florida Space Coast trip in some detail on this week’s Friday morning program.

If you have comments/questions, post them on the blog. If you want to email one of the callers, send your note to me and I will forward it to the person of your choice.

Guest: Open Lines with Dr. David Livingston. Topics: asteroid mining, Planetary Resources, Inc. SLS. You are invited to comment, ask questions, and discuss the Space Show program/guest(s) on the Space Show blog, https://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments, questions, and any discussion must be relevant and applicable to Space Show programming. Transcripts of Space Show programs are not permitted without prior written consent from The Space Show (even if for personal use) & are a violation of the Space Show copyright. We welcomed an Open Lines discussion inviting calls and emails on all space related topics. As it turned out, two topics were primary during the program and as a result of that, I will not summarize this program by segment as I usually do. First, the asteroid mining venture as put forth in the press conference for Planetary Resources, Inc. was primary throughout the program. The second commanding topic was the SLS and Op-Ed in the Houston Chronicle on April 20, 2012 by the JSC former director, Chris Kraft & Tom Moser. You can read the article at www.chron.com/opinion/outlook/article/Space-Launch-System-is-a-threat-to-JSC-Texas-jobs-3498836.php. You can read more about this Op-Ed on Space News at www.spacenews.com/commentaries/120423-fromwires-sls-threat-jsc-jobs.html. Many of the callers throughout the discussion commented on the Op Ed, the SLS, and its future. We also talked about the need for heavy lift, having a specific mission or missions for a rocket, destinations, and a time line for milestone accomplishment. Our first caller was Charles in Las Vegas who commented that he thought Planetary Resources was more “sizzle than steak.” Charles was not supportive of a business model relying on secondary payloads. Instead, he said the company had to control its own launch needs. During our three segments, many listeners said they did not agree with Charles, including me. Many of us thought it was possible to use secondary payloads and during our 105 minute program, we covered this subject with the benefits and risks of relying on others, on sole source providers, etc. As for the Op Ed, we talked about it at length, wondered about the NASA lunar study mentioned by Mr. Kraft as well as the existing rockets that could do HSF to the Moon or beyond LEO. The consensus for those calling tonight’s show was that SLS in its present format using the current management program will probably be cancelled in 2013 or 2014 despite the support Congress appears to be giving it at this time. Mixed in with the SLS calls, we did talk about the new launch date for the Falcon 9, there was lots of interest in asteroid mining and new technology development to make it happen, plus a few other topics that brought to the listeners attention. When we came back from the final break which was at the 90 minute point, I used the remaining time to highlight some of the special upcoming Space Show programs for the rest of this month into early summer.

Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog. If you want to email any of the callers or those sending in email questions for this program, send your note to me and I will forward it to you.